I get angrier and angrier each week. It's bad enough erasing the word woman in this country where there was a veneer of equality, but in countries where misogynists didn't even pretend to go away is astounding.
It is infuriating I agree. Hopefully with all the feminists shining spotlights on it, we can work together to effectively challenge it. I stay hopeful. Milli x
What you are documenting is so important Milli. Thank you. I have been thinking about how with the menstruators thing in particular people use those words as if the stigmatisation is to do with the menstruation itself rather than because it is girls who menstruate and as if period poverty is not the result of undervaluing girls' and women's participation. It's a great way to forget about the sexism inherent in it all.
I definitely relate to those working in the women’s space who are trying to fly under the radar and continue using the word woman. I was cyberbullied as a teen and am still so sensitive to trolls on the internet that I am not yet able to join the fight and speak out. That’s why I love supporting your work so much Millie. Thank you for doing this hard work.
I am a Fertility Awareness educator and last year I updated all my video courses and website just to feel refreshed after having them for 6 years. I felt a lot of peer pressure from other Fertility Awareness Educators to use the term menstruator but made the decision to stick with the word woman. Some friends said I could say women and menstruators but I still chose not to.
I was curious what your thoughts are on when people use both women and/or menstrutors. I think it’s a little better than erasing the word woman all together, but I still was not comfortable with it in my work but I felt I couldn’t really explain why, so I thought you’d be better at explaining ha!
Hi Hana, the way I look at it is this. Yes, at an individual level, we should call people what they wish and treat people with utmost kindness and respect. But changing language at population level is different. If you say, 'women and menstruators' in a policy document or on a health website, you are eroding the meaning of woman, because you are agreeing that there are 2 different types of people who menstruate? But if the meaning of 'woman' stays as it has done for millennia, then there is only one kind of person who menstruates, gives birth etc, and that's a woman. So it's an ideological change. And I don't seen enough evidence that it's needed. I don't see enough evidence that a trans man, for example, cannot cope with a childbirth site that uses sex based language? If people are not strong enough to cope with the reality that sex is real and gender identity is a choice that does not change that reality, then I guess that's another issue. I hope that all makes sense! x
I get angrier and angrier each week. It's bad enough erasing the word woman in this country where there was a veneer of equality, but in countries where misogynists didn't even pretend to go away is astounding.
It is infuriating I agree. Hopefully with all the feminists shining spotlights on it, we can work together to effectively challenge it. I stay hopeful. Milli x
What you are documenting is so important Milli. Thank you. I have been thinking about how with the menstruators thing in particular people use those words as if the stigmatisation is to do with the menstruation itself rather than because it is girls who menstruate and as if period poverty is not the result of undervaluing girls' and women's participation. It's a great way to forget about the sexism inherent in it all.
That is absolutely it - spot on. It ignores women's history. It ignores the whole problem, basically!
I definitely relate to those working in the women’s space who are trying to fly under the radar and continue using the word woman. I was cyberbullied as a teen and am still so sensitive to trolls on the internet that I am not yet able to join the fight and speak out. That’s why I love supporting your work so much Millie. Thank you for doing this hard work.
I am a Fertility Awareness educator and last year I updated all my video courses and website just to feel refreshed after having them for 6 years. I felt a lot of peer pressure from other Fertility Awareness Educators to use the term menstruator but made the decision to stick with the word woman. Some friends said I could say women and menstruators but I still chose not to.
I was curious what your thoughts are on when people use both women and/or menstrutors. I think it’s a little better than erasing the word woman all together, but I still was not comfortable with it in my work but I felt I couldn’t really explain why, so I thought you’d be better at explaining ha!
Hi Hana, the way I look at it is this. Yes, at an individual level, we should call people what they wish and treat people with utmost kindness and respect. But changing language at population level is different. If you say, 'women and menstruators' in a policy document or on a health website, you are eroding the meaning of woman, because you are agreeing that there are 2 different types of people who menstruate? But if the meaning of 'woman' stays as it has done for millennia, then there is only one kind of person who menstruates, gives birth etc, and that's a woman. So it's an ideological change. And I don't seen enough evidence that it's needed. I don't see enough evidence that a trans man, for example, cannot cope with a childbirth site that uses sex based language? If people are not strong enough to cope with the reality that sex is real and gender identity is a choice that does not change that reality, then I guess that's another issue. I hope that all makes sense! x
Makes total sense thank you!
Phew! I see it as all being about boundaries. Holding boundaries. In this case the boundaries around the word WOMAN! x